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The Dark Side

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Third Sector Research

Abstract

Strong claims are made by many third sector leaders about the positive contributions made by the sector. In this chapter it is argued that these claims substantially exaggerate the extent to which third sector organizations are different from their private sector and government cousins. Three case studies, of large international third sector organizations in action, are examined. These address the government and business ties of large environmental conservation organizations, the moulding of a global anti-poverty agenda into a vehicle for restructuring post-colonial states, and the framing of anti-corruption action excluding broader normative questions surrounding neoliberal globalization. It is concluded that (a) the third sector does not always act autonomously from business and government; (b) NGO policies tend to be driven by leadership interests rather than grassroots constituencies; (c) NGOs may not be democratic in a meaningful sense; and (d) they may not consistently support greater social equity.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    I will use the terms third sector organizations, civil society organizations, and NGOs somewhat interchangeably, for the sake of simplicity, although I understand these categories are not necessarily synonymous.

  2. 2.

    Visit http://www.wwf.org.uk/filelibrary/pdf/pandalogo.pdf

  3. 3.

    The IMF is frequently criticized by NGOs and others for its regressive policies, while criticism of the World Bank tends to be more muted. In fact, the IMF and World Bank, whose headquarters are adjacent to each other in Washington, DC, work together extremely closely and most major development funding requires the approval of both institutions. The “bad cop–good cop” analogy is suitable to explain the relationship of the two organizations.

  4. 4.

    Visit http://www.transparency.org/news_room/latest_news/press_releases_nc/2008/2008_10_30_germany_financial

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cardiff University, Wales, UK

    Jonathan Murphy

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Correspondence to Jonathan Murphy .

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  1. Department of Political Studies, University of Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Johannesburg, 2050, South Africa

    Rupert Taylor

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Murphy, J. (2010). The Dark Side. In: Taylor, R. (eds) Third Sector Research. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-5707-8_18

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